The Sinking Ship

I am sure that anyone under the age of 30 who lives anywhere in the vicinity of 49th St. and College Avenue has been to the Sinking ship. After all, I’m told that it is a joint for hipsters. I’m not sure what that means. All I know is that it’s a big bar, a clean bar with really good beer and really good prices. It also has a very unique menu for a tavern. It offers several vegan options. That includes but is not limited to, soy chorizo and soy cheese. They even offer seitan wings. Seitan is also called “wheat meat“. It is created by some mystical process where wheat is reduced to gluten, leaving protein rich, “meat like” product. I have been wanting to try it for quite a while. However it reminds me too much of the movie Solyent Green. But someday, someday.
Pat and I have been there several times for beer. They don’t start serving lunch until noon and, we like to get started around 11-ish. You know old dudes. Last week I made a solo trip to break the ice. So to speak.I didn’t order off the menu. I tried their special. Which was a chili dog with fries for $7.50. The dog was a good all beef wiener but was only a quarter pounder. They make their own chili and it worked great as a Coney sauce. I will have to try it by itself to see how it works as straight up chili.

When Pat and I went back together I knew exactly what I would order. They offer smoked pork in two different forms. One as a barbecue sandwich; the other as a Cuban sandwich. That is a combo of pork, ham, cheese, dill pickle and mustard. Pressed in a hoagie roll. And they actually smoke their pig in a smoker, outback behind the kitchen. You could actually taste the smoke, faint but definitely there. The ham was decent Deli style, and worked really well with the cheese and everything else. A compact package of good food in a Gonnella roll. The fries I had were decidedly different from the ones that came with my hotdog. I asked Bartender Ben and he told me that they had indeed changed. They were now making their own french fries. Well, I think Bartender Ben was pulling my leg a little bit. But that’s okay. He did an outstanding job anticipating our refills.

As I’ve mentioned before Pat is a traveling puzzlement as to what he’s going to eat at any given time. As if to illustrate the point, he ordered fried tofu with peanut sauce and a slice of pepperoni pizza. Pizza was their three dollar lunch special.He enjoy the pizza,telling me he thought the crust was home-made. The only reason I’m writing this much is that Patrick’s review is a little more esoteric than normal. Nicely done just a little, well, esoteric.

2 responses

I haven’t the foggiest idea what the purpose of tofu is. But you are right. Frying it does seem counter intuitive. As for the dog I have no idea what I was thinking. The Cuban was waaay better than the dog. I can have one of those at Circle K.